Portable Sun Shaded Folding Chair

ABSTRACT

A folding lounge chair for resting on a ground surface has an arrangement of struts mutually hinged so that the struts are able to be bundled in a common parallel pack for compact storage and for carrying about. When unfolded, the user sits on a cloth such as a towel which is supported at the top of upright struts at one end of the cloth and by the ground surface and by further struts in contact with the ground. A sun shade is mounted on the upright struts in a position for shading the user, and may be folded out of the way when not wanted.

BACKGROUND

The industrial field of this disclosure relates to chairs of the typefor relaxation and especially out of doors such as on the beach or in apart setting. This disclosure particularly is directed to a sling typechair and importantly, a chair that is easily folded into a compactbundle for ease in moving the chair and convenience in storage. Slingchairs are known in the prior art, but a sling chair that uses theground service for user support and that is able to be folded into acompact mutually parallel arrangement of struts and also unfoldedquickly for use is not known. Also, such a sling chair that provides aretractable and vertically positionable sun shade is not known.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an example perspective view of the presently describedapparatus as fully wrapped by a ground cloth and straps, ready forcarrying;

FIG. 2 is an example perspective view thereof as unwrapped;

FIG. 3 is an example perspective view of a frame thereof partiallyunfolded;

FIG. 4 is an example partial perspective view of the ground cloththereof;

FIG. 5 is an example perspective view of the frame thereof fullyunfledged and positioned for use;

FIG. 6 is an example partial perspective view thereof showing the groundcloth draped over the frame;

FIG. 7 is an example partial perspective view thereof showing the frameinserted into a pocket of the ground cloth;

FIG. 8 is an example perspective view thereof showing the frame engagedwith a sun shade, the shade in a non-shading position;

FIG. 9 is an example perspective view thereof showing the shade in ashading position;

FIG. 10 is an example perspective view thereof showing the apparatus inuse; and

FIG. 11 is an example perspective view of an alternate embodiment of asun shape strut coupler.

Like reference symbols in the drawing figures indicate like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The presently described apparatus and method of use is a folding chair10, an apparatus for resting on a ground surface 20. As shown in FIG. 1the chair 10 may be bundled into a compact form with bundling straps 30and a carry strap 40. The outer wrap may be a beach towel or othersizable cloth; a ground cloth 50, which use, beside for bundling thechair 10 will be described.

When unwrapped, the chair 10 is, as shown in FIG. 2, a number ofinter-joined folded-together struts made of a structural material suchas metal or plastic. This folded arrangement wherein the struts are inclose mutual proximity and in mutual parallel alignment provides foreasy carrying and convenient storage. FIG. 3 shows the bundle of strutspartly separated and as laid on the outer wrap; cloth 50.

FIG. 4 illustrates the underside of cloth 50 which may be rectangular inshape and which may have a first pair of pockets 52, fixed, as by beingsewn to cloth 50 at one end 56 of cloth 50, and also plural second pairsof pockets 54 engaged with cloth 50 in the same manner at medialpositions on cloth 50. The pockets 54 typically contact the groundsurface 20 when cloth 50 is attached to the assembly of struts and auser occupies the top side of cloth 50.

As shown in FIG. 5, when the struts are fully drawn apart and positionedin their unfolded positions, the apparatus may have a pair of mainstruts 60, a pair of hinged supporting struts 70, a pair of hingedbracing struts 80, and a pair of hinged cross-linking struts 90 and, assaid, the struts generally may readily be arranged in the foldedarrangement shown in FIG. 2 and alternately in the unfolded arrangementshown in FIG. 5 in readiness for use as chair 10. FIG. 5 shows that mainstruts 60 are spaced apart in an upright posture resting on the groundsurface 20. As shown, each supporting strut 70 may extend between a mainstrut 60 and the ground surface 20 in a first direction designated inFIG. 5 by arrow “A.” Each bracing strut 80 may extend between a mainstrut 60 and a support strut 70 and in the first direction “A”. Eachcross-linking strut 90 may extend between the main struts 60 and in asecond direction shown in FIG. 5 by arrow “B.” Directions “A” and “B”may be mutually orthogonal.

The ground cloth 50 may extend between the main struts 60 and the groundsurface 20 in the first direction “A” by engaging the pair of firstpockets 52 with the terminal upper ends of main struts 60 and thenletting cloth 50 drape down to ground surface 20 as shown in FIG. 6.

Each supporting 70, bracing 80, and cross-linking 90 strut is hingedwith at least one said main strut 60, and each bracing strut 80 is alsohinged with a support strut 80 as is well shown in FIG. 5 and also FIG.8. Hinges are not shown in the drawing figures as they are well known inthe art and may be of one or another alternate types including hingepins 100 fed through the struts and also through structural webs 110 asshown in FIG. 7.

As said, the plural second pairs of pockets 54 are medially positionedon cloth 50 and are spaced apart in the first direction “A” as shown inFIG. 4 and FIG. 5. As shown in FIG. 7, free ends of struts 70, that isthe ends that rest on surface 20, of the support struts 70 may beengaged within one or another of the second pairs of pockets 54 of theground cloth 50. When cloth 50 is fixed to the tops of main struts 60and to the ends of support struts 70 portions of cloth 50 do not touchground surface 20 and it is these portions that function as a back restfor a user as shown in FIG. 10. It is pointed out that couplers 65 areable to slide frictionally along struts 60 and may be fixed at a desiredlocation on struts 65 by thumb screws or any other common hardwareitems. Referring to FIG. 5 it is clearly shown that as couplers 65 aremoved from the position shown in FIG. 5 to a higher position on struts60; struts 70, 80 and 90 all move to a more vertical upright attitudeand when couplers 65 are moved down, the converse occurs. When free ends72 of struts 70 are engaged with pockets 54 that are further away frompockets 52, couplers 65 are lowered to thereby extend ends 72 further indirection A and this tends to raise the backrest portion of cloth 50 forthe convenience of a heavier user or a taller user.

As shown in FIGS. 8, 9, and 10, the folding chair 10 may further utilizea one-piece cloth sun shade 150 supported by a pair of first shadestruts 170 engaged along opposing sides of shade 150 by any commonattachment means. The struts 170 may be engaged in a slidingrelationship with main struts 60 so shade 150 may be raised or loweredto provide for the convenience of children and adults. FIG. 8 shows thatshade 150 may be folded back and out of the way when not needed ascouplers 160 may readily accommodate such rotation as those of skillwill find a routine matter of mechanics. In fact shade 150 may berotated backward into a vertical position behind chair 10 forconvenience. When in use, coupler 65 may allow shade 150 to assume theposition shown in FIG. 9 where it covers cloth 50 and a user as itextends from the main struts 60 forward in direction “A.”

As shown in FIG. 9 it is preferred to form sun shade 150 so that it hasa front transverse edge 152, a rear transverse edge 154, a pair of sidepanels 156, and a top panel 158, the side panels 156 being approximatelytriangular in shape with a diminishing height moving away from the mainstruts 60 in the first direction “A” assuming the position of shade 150is as shown in FIG. 9. The triangular sides of shade 150 provide foruser protection from wind, blown sand when used on the beach, privacyand from the rays of a low sun. To accommodate the taller aspect of therear portion of shade 150 a further embodiment of coupler 160 may beemployed as shown in FIG. 11. In this embodiment coupler 165 has acentral hole 166 for receiving strut 60, and a groove 167 for receivingfirst shade strut 170 in a pivotal relationship so that shade may berotated to the back area of chair 10 as previously described. A furthergroove 168 is provided for receiving second shade strut 180. Strut 180is also able to rotate along with strut 170 and is long enough tosupport the deep end of shade 150.

Embodiments of the subject apparatus and method have been describedherein. Nevertheless, it will be understood that modifications may bemade without departing from the spirit and understanding of thisdisclosure. Accordingly, other embodiments and approaches are within thescope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A folding chair apparatus for resting on a groundsurface, the apparatus comprising: a pair of main struts; a pair ofhinged supporting struts, each supporting strut having a free end; apair of hinged bracing struts; a pair of hinged cross-linking struts;said struts positionable between: a folded arrangement wherein thestruts are in close mutual proximity and in mutual parallel alignment;and an unfolded chair arrangement wherein, the main struts are spacedapart in an upright posture resting on the ground surface; each supportstrut extending in a first direction between a main strut and a free endof the support strut, the free end positioned adjacent to the groundsurface, each bracing strut extending between a main strut and a supportstrut in the first direction; each cross-linking strut extending betweenthe main struts in a second direction; and a first pair of pockets of aground cloth engaged with upper terminal ends of the main struts, theground cloth extending to the ground surface in the first directionwherein a selected pair of a plurality of pairs of second pairs ofpockets medially positioned and secured to the ground cloth are engagedwith the free ends of the support struts; whereby the ground cloth issecured in a preferred attitude for supporting a person lying thereon ina reclined position.
 2. The folding chair apparatus of claim 1 whereineach support, bracing, and cross-linking strut is hinged with at leastone said main strut and each bracing strut is hinged with a supportstrut.
 3. The folding chair apparatus of claim 1 wherein the pluralityof pairs of second pairs of pockets are spaced apart in the firstdirection.
 4. The folding chair apparatus of claim 1 further comprisinga one-piece cloth sun shade supported by a pair of first shade strutsengaged at one end thereof with the main struts, the first shade strutspositionable above the ground cloth and extending in the firstdirection.
 5. The folding chair apparatus of claim 4 wherein the sunshade is further supported by a pair of second shade struts engaged atone end thereof with the main struts, the second shade strutspositionable in attitudes in parallel with the main struts.
 6. Thefolding chair apparatus of claim 5 wherein the sun shade has opposingfront and rear transverse edges aligned with the second direction, apair of triangular side portions aligned with the first direction, and atop portion contiguous with the side panels.
 7. A folding chairapparatus for resting on a ground surface having a longitudinal aspect,the apparatus comprising: a plurality of linear struts joined by pivotalmeans wherein the struts are movable between a mutually in-parallelfolded arrangement and an unfolded arrangement suitable for supporting areclining person on a ground cloth; pockets secured to the ground clothat opposing positions thereon; terminal ends of an upright pair of saidlinear struts and an angled-downwardly pair of said linear strutsengaged within the pockets of the ground cloth in the opposingpositions, the upright and angled downwardly pairs of linear strutspositioned for resting on the ground surface supporting the ground clothin a draped, sling-like, attitude for receiving an reclining person. 8.The folding chair apparatus for resting on a ground surface of claim 7wherein the pockets for receiving the downwardly angled pair of linearstruts include plural pairs of said pockets arranged in longitudinallyspaced apart positions on the ground cloth.